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Man drowns in Snoqualmie River Saturday

A 26-year-old Spanaway man drowned while tubing on the Snoqualmie River June 24.

The King County Medical Examiner's office idendified the man as Kevin Barber.

The man was in an inner tube tethered to another person's tube while floating in the river near the mouth of the Raging River, said Fall City Fire Chief Chris Connor.

The rope came untied from the other tube and tangled on debris at the bottom of the river, Connor said. The rope caught the victim's ankle and pulled him under the surface of the water, Connor said.

The man's friends couldn't find him and called for help; emergency workers also had a difficult time locating him, Connor said. By the time the man was located, he had been under water for about 25 minutes, he said.

Rescuers tried to revive him but he was declared dead at the scene, Connor said. He wasn't certain if the man was wearing a life vest or not.

This was the first drowning death in area waters this year, Connor said.

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